"Favorite Pacific Battle" Topic

Which battles of the Pacific War do you find the most interesting? I just bought some Airfix Japanese infantry along with Bill Sloan's new book on the battle of Saipan and Bill O'Reilly's Killing the Rising Sun so that's why I'm interested in hearing your opinion.

Guadalcanal would be my choice!

Agree with Guadalcanal as a first choice, has elements of manoevre and fixed defences for both sides, some armour and close air support too, naval support and amphibious landings as well…….all of the other Pacific actions in microcosm!

The Burma campaigns might be more balanced, if you've got miniatures for Commonwealth forces.

Peleliu as a vicious and bloody punch up. Those nasty corals too.

Guadacanal for variety of troop types. Tarawa for its guts.

I'll second Hoxie's choice: Burma. Vicious (as always), a close-run thing at least until the end, splendid terrain with its temples and jungles, an interesting mix of Commonwealth troops, Wingate and his Chindits, and of course General Slim, far and away my favourite general of any force in WWII!

Edit: And of course the Japanese were led by that fellow whose abundant moustaches would put even Kitchener to shame. Can't think of his name just now…

Favorite battle of the pacific hands down is Wake island. Until the discovery of the Jap mini sub sunk by the Navy the US Marine Corps were the first of US forces to sink Japanese naval craft. But it was a awesome battle that encompassed land, air and sea combat.

We certainly played Avalon Hill's Guadalcanal game many, many times.

Guadalcanal for me, although my 20mm games tended to get non-specific and then were graxed my a load of LVT(A)1s. Burma too, although that's not "Pacific" per se :)

New Guinea

It depends on scale. For skirmish, it's hard to beat some of the Marine Raiders' engagements, such as Makin Island -- good figures in 28mm from Warlord, too. For larger actions, the Philippines offer some good scope. These are in addition to the fine suggestions (Burma, Guadalcanal, New Guinea) already offered.

Guadalcanal. Where Army, Navy, and Air forces all fought. Both sides were near parity also. It is the Stalingrad of the Pacific!

Guadalcanal or Burma – if pressed, would pick Burma because I could use Commonwealth troops

Bataan. Americans don't have the usual overwhelming firepower, naval gunfire, and massive air support they have in later battles. Strelets just came out with a lot of early war US Army and Navy troops. Perfect for Bataan, Wake Island and other early war combat.

Photos on my blog.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

None.

The Land battles are essentially necessary massacres. These are made so because of the Japanese disinclination to surrender even after the United States has brought massive force to bear on an isolated cut off ground force. This makes it for me a more or less boring situation. I was never attracted to the "See how many of them you can take with you" type of game.

The sea battles are where there can be a sense of victory and opportunity, but that peters out in 1944 when it is obvious the United States can mass overwhelming force ANYWHERE.

Now, battles in China can be interesting.

Guadalcanal, both ground and naval battles.

For skirmishing, Battle of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, is the most interesting for me — Seabee bulldozers clearing paths for the Marines' tanks to advance into contact!

Coral Sea or Midway

Saipan

Midway

Edson Ridge on Guadalcanal as there is a chance the Japs could break through and win. Since it is all at night and close range it's easy to do and a good solitaire scenario.

Tarawa for the improvisions the Marines needed to make just to get ashore on the first day. Great simulation of small unit tactics to take individual defensive strong points using suppression and assault teams. Also 2/8, the battalion I was in landed on Red 3 on the first day. No, I was not there.

Wolfhag

Okinawa

Land Battles:

Guadalcanal
Saipan
Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
China
Burma

Guadalcanal, because it had a little bit of everything: land, air and sea. Plus it was early enough in the war where the outcome could have gone either way, unlike many battles later in the war.

Kokoda trail. Infantry fighting in sense undergrowth. Cobbers with Thompsons versus Japanese. What's not to like?

Next, Burma. Lees with long-barrelled 75mm versus Japanese tank destroyers. Again, what's not to like?

I can't see you guys rating
The kind of mating
I'm contemplating.

Guadalcanal is a fascinating campaign but I don't think the combination of land, sea and air lends itself well to a tabletop scale. You can do land, or land and a bit of air, or sea and / or air, but you can't do sea and land and air.

Carriers at War on the PC was a good sim but had no land aspect to speak of.

Out of respect, they would have to be

Guadalcanal
Cape Gloucester
Peleliu

My late Great Uncle and only other Marine in the family fought in all three.

Semper Fi, Uncle Howard